SHSU's 125 Detailed in Prose, Pictorial Publication

By Kelly Prew/City EditorThe Huntsville Item

The rich history of Sam Houston State University, its most intriguing
alumni and most notable contributions, was honored this year in
celebrations marking 125 years, and a new book released by Texas
Review Press includes passages and pictures inscribed for future
generations.

"
Sam Houston State University: An Institutional Memory: 1879-2004" was
commissioned by the university and written by history professor
Ty Cashion. Photos were gathered from the community and university
archives by photography professor and art director for the project,
Tom Seifert. The result was a 227-page chronicle of life and lore
of SHSU.

"
Sam Houston is a kind of place that is traditionally first-generation
college students," Cashion said in a recent interview. "In
reading this book, you can just feel we're on stride to be in a
new era here, not just physical growth, but because you see people
wearing the orange more, and SHSU is becoming a first choice for
a lot of students."

It is that pride in the school that made the extensive research
and work on the book worth it, Cashion said.

"
There were so many things I was impressed with," he said. "I
guess you always find things you didn't know when doing something
like this. The standards here are higher knowing the history of
a place. We've been in the news, and we all feel like we're about
to take the next step."

The day before school started in fall 2003, Cashion was approached
by university president James Gaertner about the project. The book
was due June 1, 2004. Although the tough deadline was daunting,
Cashion accepted the project and began compiling the story of SHSU.

"
With just 11 minutes left until 5 p.m. on deadline day, I called
Dr. Gaertner and said 'the deed is done,'" Cashion laughed. "I
had a lot of help, and we got it done in time."

The 125th anniversary book includes a foreword by Dan Rather and
an afterward by Gaertner, and everything in between was gathered
from newspapers, yearbooks and a partial manuscript of a similar
project from 1979, not to mention hundreds of man hours spent by
research assistants, the author and art director.

There are vignettes in each chapter telling tales of the university,
from ghost stories to the truth of Tripod the dog, SHSU's unofficial
mascot.

"
My favorite part was probably Harry Estill's administration," Cashion
said. "He served the university longer than any other president
and was really an 'everyman.'"

Collaborating with Seifert was also a plus for Cashion. He said
he was amazed by his talent, but also enjoyed his company throughout
the course of the endeavor.

"
I had never met him before," Cashion said. "He is just
a delightful person, and I never saw the downside of a tight deadline
affect him."

Cashion dedicated the book to another man he said deserved respect
for the kind of person he is and his unending support throughout
the project.

"
Jim Olson might be the most intelligent person I've ever met," Cashion
said. "He's the most intelligent person I've ever worked with
and the nicest human being. He really makes you a better person.
I dedicated the book to him for his role of encouragement and his
example of work ethic."

Telling the story of SHSU from the beginning was a journey for
Cashion and Seifert, and Cashion said he is pleased with the final
result. He said he learned more than he thought possible, and hopes
the "Institutional Memory" will shed some light on the
past.

"
People are Sam Houston's soul and greatest strength," Rather
wrote in the foreword. "And so long as that's true, the college
I knew and that today's students know will be, in the ways that
matter most, one and the same."

"
Sam Houston State University: An Institutional Memory: 1879-2004" is
currently on sale for $49.95 at the SHSU Alumni Center, the Sam
Houston Museum store, the campus bookstore and online from www.shsu.edu.

Today and Wednesday, a table will be set up in the mall area on
campus from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for sales of the book. Both the regular
edition and the signed leather-bound special edition, priced at
$125, will be available.

"
I think the price is very reasonable," Cashion said. "This
is, in addition to a history of the school, a visually beautiful
book."